LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Peter Meijer, a Republican who served one time period in Congress earlier than voters ousted him after voting to question then-President Donald Trump, introduced Monday that he’ll run for an open U.S. Senate seat in Michigan.

Meyer joins a gaggle of greater than a dozen candidates vying for the seat that Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow has held for greater than 20 years. Stabenow shocked many within the state in January by asserting her retirement, making a wide-open race within the battleground state.

“My spouse and I’ve prayed laborious about this race and the way we will greatest serve our state and our nation. “We now have thought of each side of the marketing campaign and are assured that we’ve got the very best probability to win this seat again for Republicans and battle laborious for a conservative future,” Main stated in a press release on X, previously referred to as Twitter.

“We’re in darkish and unsure occasions, however we’ve got come by means of worse. The challenges are nice, however so is our nation. If we need to see one other nice American century, we want leaders who usually are not afraid to be daring, who take motion, and who can’t be purchased.”

Meijer is the inheritor to a Midwestern grocery retailer empire. His identify recognition and fundraising potential instantly made him a number one candidate in some of the aggressive Senate races within the nation. He joins former US Consultant Mike Rogers and former Detroit Police Chief James Craig within the Republican area, whereas the Democratic area is led by US Consultant Elissa Slotkin and consists of actor Hill Harper.

Slotkin introduced her intentions in February, however the Republican area remained comparatively empty till Rogers introduced his marketing campaign in September and Craig in October. Slotkin had practically $4 million extra within the financial institution than some other Senate candidate as of September, in keeping with marketing campaign finance figures launched earlier this month.

Meyer, who’s from Grand Rapids, is a former Military Reserve officer who served in Iraq. He was seen as a part of the following era of Republican leaders when he was elected to the U.S. Home of Representatives in 2020 at simply 32 years outdated. However the impeachment vote simply two weeks into Meyer’s first time period made him an instantaneous goal for Trump loyalists.

He would lose re-election to a Trump-backed main opponent in 2022 regardless of having a major fundraising benefit.

Questions stay about whether or not the reasonable candidate who voted to question Trump can keep within the Republican main. Trump received Michigan in 2016, and his endorsed candidates received overwhelmingly within the main earlier than shedding by a large margin within the normal election.

If Meijer could make it previous the Republican main, he’ll possible current a formidable problem to the Democratic nominee. His surname is among the most well-known within the state, and his fame as a reasonable Republican may assist in a state that has turn out to be Democratic in recent times.

Republicans have received simply one of many final 15 Senate races in Michigan, however Democrats’ margin of victory has narrowed each election since Democratic Sen. Carl Levin received re-election in 2008 by a 29% margin. Democratic Sen. Gary Peters received re-election over GOP challenger John James by lower than 2% in 2020, the closest race in additional than 20 years.

Helped partly by turmoil within the GOP, Democrats received decisive victories in 2022, taking management of each chambers of the state Legislature for the primary time in a long time and sustaining management of the governor’s workplace. The social gathering additionally received practically each aggressive U.S. Home race in Michigan final yr.